Portable folding ironing board



A ril 14', 1964 M. L. LEWIS 3,128,726

PORTABLE FOLDING IRONING BOARD I Filed May 25. 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet l O O O 0 O O O O O 4L INVENTOR.

i M R-Y1. LEW/s Arrvs April 14, 1964 M. L. LEWIS v f 3,1 8, 6

PORTABLE FOLDING IRONING BOARD filed May 25, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2' INVENTOR- MARY L. LEW/5 United States Patent Ofifice 3,128,726: Patented Apr. 14, 1964 3,128,726 PORTABLE FOLDING IRONIN G BOARD Mary L. Lewis, 303 E. Sinto, Spokane, Wash. Filed May 25 1962 Ser. No. 197,648 4 Claims. (Cl. 108-112) This invention relates to a novel folding ironing board designed primarily for portable use.

The present invention is concerned with a portable ironing board which comprises two separable parts, the board itself being foldable so as to present a compact package. The ironing board is designed primarily for use while traveling or under conditions requiring a compact ironing unit, such as in a house trailer, a boat, or a similar living arrangement. The demand for a portable ironing board has become more acute as the number of persons traveling in privately owned vehicles has increased in this country. Use of an ironing board as presented in this application enables the traveler to main tain his clothes in presentable condition while away from home.

It is a first object of this invention to provide a portable ironing board which is usable under almost any space conditions. The board itself includes a bracket which can be clamped to any vertical member, or, if no such support member is available, may be clamped to a box or to the users luggage.

Another object of this invention is to provide a portable ironing board having a board which folds flat and a separable compact mounting bracket. The provision of a two piece unit enables the user to easily mount the bracket where desired and then readily assemble the board on the bracket for use.

These and further objects will be evident from a study of the accompanying drawings taken in conjunction with the following description of a single preferred form of my invention. It is to be understood that this form of my invention is not intended to restrict or limit the scope of the invention as defined in the claims which follow.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side view of the ironing board assembly mounted on a drawer;

FIGURE 2 is a top view of the assembly as seen in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an end view taken from the right hand end of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional View taken along line 4-4 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a bottom view of the board;

FIGURE 6 is an end view of the mounting bracket with the central portions of the vertical members broken away;

FIGURE 7 is a top view of the mounting bracket with the central parts of the horizontal members broken away;

FIGURE 8 is a sectional view taken along line 8-3 in FIGURE 5, showing the board in its folded position; and

FIGURE 9 is a sectional view through a piece of luggage showing the attachment of the mounting bracket on the wall thereof.

This invention is concerned primarily with a portable ironing board assembly for use by travelers and those living under restricted space conditions such as encountered in house trailers, boats and small apartments. The assembly includes two pieces which shall be generally referred to as an ironing board It) and a mounting bracket 11. The ironing board 10 is preferably constructed of sheet metal, but may be fabricated from any suitable heat resistant material and may be provided with a suitable cover or pad (not shown). If a pad or cover is desired,

it is preferably removable for compact storage of the board. The board itself includes two sections 12 and 13 having the usual ironing board configuration. The two sections 12 and 13 are joined to one another for pivotal rotation about a transverse axis by means of a piano hinge 14 which extends from one side of the board 10 to the other. When extended to a horizontal position the two sections 12 and 13 form a co-planar flat top surface which is suitable for portable ironing purposes.

The mounting bracket 11 including a top U-shaped portion 15 which is formed of a bent rod or other suitable mounting material. The U-shaped portion 15 has two depending vertical members 17 which are fixed at their upper ends to the horizontal members 16 that form the open end of the U-shaped portion 15. The connection of the vertical member 17 to the horizontal member 16 is adjacent the closed end of the U-shaped portion 15.

Fixed to the lower surfaces of the horizontal members 16, and spaced parallel to the vertical members 17, is a bar 18. The bar 18 is suitably apertured and threadably receives a bolt 19 having a winged head for manual adjustment. The bolt 19 is mounted on the bar 18 in a longitudinal position so as to intersect the area separating the vertical members 17. Bolt 19 is provided with a suitable swivel plate 20 adjacent the vertical members "17 and adapted to bear against a supporting element positioned between the bar 18 and the vertical mem-' bers 17.

In order to securely hold the ironing board 10 on the bracket 11, one section 12 of the ironing board 11! is provided with a transverse bar 21 secured to the underside thereof. Bar 21 is provided with two longitudinal apertures which are adapted to slidably receive the horizontal member 16 of the U-shaped portion 15 on the bracket 11. The remaining section 13 of the ironing board 10 is provided with a hooked plate 22 on its lower surface. The plate 22 is adapted to receive the closed end of the U-shaped portion 15 of bracket 11. The plate 22 abuts the upper and lower surfaces of the U-shaped portion 15 as Well as the closed end thereof. The board 10 will therefore be firmly positioned on the bracket 11 by means of the cooperation of bracket 11 with the bar 21 and the plate 22. The ironing board 10 can be readily dismantled by merely releasing the plate 22 and sliding the bar 21 along the horizontal members 16.

The use of this ironing board is extremely simple. It may be readily mounted on any drawer 23, such as is illustrated in FIGURES 1 to 4. The drawer 23 must be opened and the bracket 11 is first secured to the drawer by tightening the bolt 19. The ironing board 11) is then mounted on the bracket 11 by first slipping the bar 21 onto the horizontal members 16 and then hooking the plate 22 about the closed end of the U-shaped bracket portion 15. When use of the board 19 is completed the assembly is dismantled by reversing these operations.

In some instances where a suitable rigid drawer is unavailable, the traveler may utilize this ironing board on his suitcase as illustrated in FIGURE 9. The bracket 11 is shown secured to a suitcase wall 24 and since-the suitcase wall 24 may be too short for full support of the board 11), the vertical members 17 extend beyond the bottom of the suitcase and may abut a supporting mattress edge or table edge.

Thus I have disclosed a very simple and extremely practical ironing board assembly which provides the necessary support for such a board and yet is readily assembled or dismantled when desired. The long vertical members 17 of the bracket 11 insure proper stability of the board. The ironing board is very compact and can be easily carried in a suitcase. Various modifications may occur to one skilled in this field. Therefore the exact configura- 93 tions illustrated in the drawings are not intended to limit or restrict this invention except as it may be defined in the claims which follow.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A portable ironing board assembly comprising:

a mounting bracket having a plurality of parallel horizontal members and individual vertical members depending downwardly therefrom adjacent the first end of each of said horizontal members;

means on said bracket adapted to clamp said mounting bracket to a fixed supporting member;

an ironing board comprising two sections hinged about a transverse axis, each of said sections having a coplanar top surface when extended to a horizontal position;

first means on the underside of one section of said ironing board adapted to slidably receive said horizontal members of said bracket;

and second means on the underside of the remaining section of said ironing board adapted to engage said first end of each of said horizontal members of said bracket.

2. An assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said means to clamp said mounting bracket comprises:

a bar fixed to the underside of the horizontal members parallel to said vertical members and spaced therefrom;

and a bolt threadably extended through said bar adapted to bear against a supporting member interposed between said vertical members and said bar.

3. A portable ironing board assembly comprising:

a mounting bracket having a U-shaped portion located in a horizontal position and a pair of downwardly extending rod members fixed to said portion adjacent the closed end thereof;

a bar secured to the underside of said portion of said bracket parallel to said rod members and spaced therefrom;

a bolt threadably extended through said bar adapted to bear against a supporting member located between said bar and said rod members;

an ironing board comprising two sections hinged about a transverse axis, each of said sections having a coplanar top surface when extended to a horizontal position;

a bar fixed to the underside of a first of said sections and provided with a pair of longitudinal apertures adapted to receive the open end of the U-shaped bracket portion;

and a hooked plate fixed to the underside of the remaining section adapted to abut the upper, lower and end surfaces of the closed end of said U-shaped bracket portion.

4. A portable ironing board assembly comprising:

a mounting bracket having an upper horizontal memher and a vertical member fixed thereto and extending downwardly therefrom adjacent one end of said horizontal member;

clamp means on said bracket adapted to engage a supporting member;

an ironing board comprising two sections hinged about a transverse axis, each of said sections having a coplanar top surface when extended to a horizontal position;

first means fixed to the underside of one section of said ironing board adapted to slidably receive the remaining end of said horizontal member of said bracket;

and second means fixed to the remaining section of said ironing board adapted to abut the one end of said horizontal member about its upper, lower and end surfaces.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,588,914 Smith June 15, 1926 2,542,037 Lantz Feb. 20, 1951 2,762,144 Jones Sept. 11, 1956 2,867,401 Sheahan Jan. 6, 1959 

1. A PORTABLE IRONING BOARD ASSEMBLY COMPRISING: A MOUNTING BRACKET HAVING A PLURALITY OF PARALLEL HORIZONTAL MEMBERS AND INDIVIDUAL VERTICAL MEMBERS DEPENDING DOWNWARDLY THEREFROM ADJACENT THE FIRST END OF EACH OF SAID HORIZONTAL MEMBERS; MEANS ON SAID BRACKET ADAPTED TO CLAMP SAID MOUNTING BRACKET TO A FIXED SUPPORTING MEMBER; AN IRONING BOARD COMPRISING TWO SECTIONS HINGED ABOUT A TRANSVERSE AXIS, EACH OF SAID SECTIONS HAVING A COPLANAR TOP SURFACE WHEN EXTENDED TO A HORIZONTAL POSITION; FIRST MEANS ON THE UNDERSIDE OF ONE SECTION OF SAID IRONING BOARD ADAPTED TO SLIDABLY RECEIVE SAID HORIZONTAL MEMBERS OF SAID BRACKET; AND SECOND MEANS ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE REMAINING SECTION OF SAID IRONING BOARD ADAPTED TO ENGAGE SAID FIRST END OF EACH OF SAID HORIZONTAL MEMBERS OF SAID BRACKET. 